McMillian’s murder has threatened to become a tabloid-style case in
this rural Delta town. Police investigators and several of the suspects'
friends have said that Reed is claiming a
"gay panic" defense. But friends of McMillian “say the two men were
romantically involved and quarreled immediately before the slaying,”
reported the Clarion-Ledger.

“There are many gay men and lesbians here—but we are often invisible,”
says film director Patrik-Ian Polk, a native of Hattiesburg. Polk
created the groundbreaking television series Noah’s Arc for
MTV/LOGO—the nation’s first Black gay television series—and its
successful big-screen spin-off. Polk returned to Mississippi to shoot
his next project, an adaptation of the novel Blackbird. "It’s not like being gay in a big city like New York or Los Angeles.
It’s still a ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ vibe—it’s not often discussed."

The interviews include: Film and television director/screenwriterPatrik-Ian Polk (Noah's Arc), a native of Hattiesburg who is lensing his next film in his hometown; Mississippi State University's Dr. Ravi Perry, friend and political adviser to McMillian, whose historic same-sex wedding was recently featured in JET; and UCLA's Mignon Moore, who has researched Black same-sex couples in the South.

02 March 2013

This was not unexpected but there has been a disturbing development in the tragic case of Marco McMillian, the 34-year-old fundraising executive who was running for mayor of Clarksdale, Mississippi. Murder charges were filed against 22-year-old Lawrence Reed on Thursday. Police investigators and several of the suspects' friends have said the suspect is claiming a "gay panic" defense, according to new reports.

"Friends of Lawrence Reed say a late-night encounter between McMillian and Reed may have caused Reed to snap," reported Memphis' ABC 24.

Friends say Reed and McMillian met at a Clarksdale bar a few weeks ago, and the two became fast friends. The same friends say the two were supposed to go to a party together on Monday night in the nearby town of Walls. Next thing anyone knew, the friends say Reed's girlfriend received a call from Reed. "She said she was listening to everything that was going on, how the guy was trying to get Lawrence to have a homosexual activity," Derric Crump, Reed's friend said.

McMillian's friends say they doubt that's what led to murder "He was such, such a beautiful person. I mean he did not deserve it. Really didn't." said Tamara Moore, a longtime friend of McMillian.

The Clarion-Ledger confirms this version with investigators—but their report adds that McMillian's friends claim the two had a sexual relationship. "[The homicide] stemmed from a personal incident, either between two lovers or between a gay man and a straight man whose signals got mixed."

Reed allegedly snapped, strangled McMillian, then drove McMillian’s SUV to the levee west of Clarksdale and tossed his body near the river. Friends of McMillian, however, say the two men were romantically involved and quarreled immediately before the slaying. "They were having an affair," said 18-year-old Carlos Jones. "They got to tussling."

Afterward, Reed allegedly drove around in McMillian’s SUV until 8:30 a.m. Tuesday when he collided head-on with another vehicle on U.S. 49 near the maximum-security Tallhatchie County Correctional Facility.

McMillian announced his candidacy for mayor last month and was described as "one of the 1st viable openly #LGBT candidates in Mississippi" by the Victory Fund, which helps elect openly LGBT candidates. "Jarod Keith, a spokesman for his campaign, said it was significant because he was believed to be the first openly gay candidate to run for office in the state," reported the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

McMillian apparently had a distinguished career as a fundraising executive, according to the biography at Marco McMillian for Mayor. McMillan most recently served as International Executive Director of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity. Previously he was a development executive at Alabama A&M and Jacskon State, raising helping to raise "$38 million... and more than $16 million" respectively, the bio reports. "McMillian was named in Mississippi Business Journal’s 'Top 40 Under 40' and was recognized by EBONY in 2004 as one of the nation’s leaders who are 30 and under."

"This is a tragic and horrible crime," Dr. Ravi K Perry told Rod 2.0. Perry is assistant professor of political science at Mississippi State University, and was a friend of Marco McMillian and and adviser to his political campaign. JET featured the wedding of Dr. Ravi Perry and Paris Prince in its December 10 2012 issue. "Marco McMillian had so much potential."

Reed "is listed in good condition" at the Regional Medical Center at Memphis. Lawrence Reed is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Monday morning. Prosecutors are expected to request his extradition to neighboring Mississippi.

McMillian's body was discovered on the Mississippi River levee Wednesday morning. McMillian had been missing since his car was involved in an accident on Tuesday. The murder charges were filed against the man found in his car and involved in an accident, reports the Clarion-Ledger.

Lawrence Reed [faces charges for the] murder of Marco McMillian. Reed, 22, is from Shelby. He is thought to have killed McMillian sometime late Monday night or early Tuesday morning.

McMillian was considered missing after an accident involving his SUV happened around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday near the Coahoma County-Tallahatchie County line. Reed, who was driving McMillian’s SUV, had collided head-on with another vehicle. McMillian wasn’t in his SUV at the time of the accident, thus prompting a search for his whereabouts.

CNN spoke with the candidate's mother, Patricia McMillian, who wanted to dispel some speculation that her son's death has anything to do with his sexual orientation."He did not announce in public that he was gay," she told CNN. "I don't think he was attacked because he was gay."

She said that she did not know the man who was found in her son's vehicle. "We didn't even know him. We never heard of him," said Amos Unger, McMillian's stepfather. The man and McMillian were not friends on Facebook, the parents said. They said they are sure that their son didn't know him.

McMillian apparently had a distinguished career as a fundraising executive, according to the biography at Marco McMillian for Mayor. McMillan most recently served as International Executive Director of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity. Previously he was a development executive at Alabama A&M and Jacskon State, raising helping to raise "$38 million... and more than $16 million" respectively, the bio reports. "McMillian was named in Mississippi Business Journal’s 'Top 40 Under 40' and was recognized by EBONY in 2004 as one of the nation’s leaders who are 30 and under."

Until last year, there were no openly LGBT politicians in Mississippi. If elected, McMillian would have been one of only several Black openly gay men to lead a town or city. McMillian's sexuality "never came up during the [mayoral] campaign," a staffer told the Clarion-Ledger.

"The loss of Marco is a huge one," said Dr. Ravi K Perry in a statement released by the National Black Justice Coalition. Perry is assistant professor of political science at Mississippi State University, and was a friend of Marco McMillian and and adviser to his political campaign. JET featured the wedding of Dr. Ravi Perry and Paris Prince in its December 10 2012 issue.

"He was the most viable LGBT candidate for public office in the history of politics in the state of Mississippi," said Perry. "We need more 'Marcos' to boldly stand up for what they believe and to serve the greater good. His untimely death is tragic and also a reminder that we need to better engage and equip openly gay candidates of color running for office."

Ravi, an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Mississippi State University, and Paris, a licensed real estate broker and anti discrimination compliance expert, were married in August at their home in Worcester, Massachusetts. The biweekly feature, which traditionally showcases straight couples, includes a short bio of the couple and explains how the couple fell in love.

"We are excited and honored to have our wedding featured in the historic yet ever-current JET Magazine. Long the hallmark in publishing news, culture, and events pertaining to the Black American experience, Jet's publishing of our union is historic" said Ravi and Paris.

"JET Magazine has an extensive legacy of covering the lives of LGBT African-Americans," said Herndon Graddick, President of GLAAD. "This is yet another opportunity to applaud JET Magazine for continuing to highlight the diversity of the African-American community and to urge other media outlets to recognize that it’s these stories that help grow acceptance of our community and give a voice to LGBT people of color who are too often invisible in the media."

Ravi Perry was a political science professor at Clark University when he was elected to the NAACP position last year. He became the youngest and first openly gay president in that chapter's history. Perry also became one of the very few openly gay chapter president's in the NAACP's history.

JET is a weekly publication and boasts more than 7 million readers. Last year, JET featured its first same-sex wedding, telling the amazing story of Nyema Vernon and Dr. Tenika Jackson. JET has featured Black gay males couples in recent years, too. The biweekly magazine also featured Kye Allums
last year, the former George Washington University student who made history as the
first out transgender Division I college basketball player.

"This is the new NAACP," said Clark University political science professor Ravi Perry, the new chapter president in Worcester. "This is a human rights organization, and we have an obligation to fight discrimination at all levels."

NAACP branches have been recruiting gays, immigrants and young people who grew up in a world far removed from the landmark 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education ruling that outlawed school segregation. Now, leadership positions that were once held only by blacks are being filled by members of other racial or ethnic groups. in recent years NAACP chapters in New Jersey, Connecticut and Georgia have elected Hispanics as president. A white man was picked to lead the chapter in Aiken, S.C. And two years ago, NAACP members in Hamtramck, Mich., a Detroit suburb, selected a Bangladeshi American to revive their long-dormant chapter.

There has been some pushback. In Worcester, Perry is responding to critics in the local chapter who "feel blindsided by what they say appears to be 'his own agenda'," reports the Worcester Telegram. Presumably that is a reference to LGBT issues.

In February 2010, the NAACP elected 44-year-old Roslyn Brock as its new chairwoman to replace the legendary Julian Bond. Brock joins 37-year-old NAACP President Benjamin Jealous—who has tried to engage LGBT issues— and both have pledged to make the veteran civil rights organization more relevant.

Ravi Perry, a political science professor at Clark University, was elected Saturday with a slated of new officers. The 28-year-old says he hopes that as an openly gay man he can help the storied civil rights group address long-ignored gay and lesbian issues in minority communities. Perry also said that most on the newly elected Worcester board are 40 years of age, signaling a generational shift within the NAACP.

In February 2010, the NAACP elected 44-year-old Roslyn Brock as its new chairwoman to replace the legendary Julian Bond. Brock joins 37-year-old NAACP President Benjamin Jealous—who has tried to engage LGBT issues— and both have pledged to make the veteran civil rights organization more relevant to today's black youth.